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The Boulder City Council gave the Pearl Street smoking ban initial approval on Tuesday evening. If the proposal passes, no one would be allowed to smoke anywhere on the pedestrian mall.

The penalties are strict with a fines of up to $1,000 or up to 90 days in jail.

A lot of complaints from tourists, residents and business owners about the dangers of secondhand smoke prompted the outdoor smoking ban proposal.

Secondhand smoke kills 40,000 people in the U.S. every year.

Sean Maher with the Boulder Business Improvement District says businesses have been booming downtown despite the indoor smoking ban put in place in 1995. He says outdoor bans have already been successful in California and Minnesota.